Tire Traction Testing in the Winter Environment

Winter environment traction testing of passenger car and truck tires has increased in significance with the advent of greater consumer awareness and potential government regulation. This paper reviews reasons for testing and the engineering techniques currently used. Test course preparation for both snow and ice surfaces are discussed. Typical instrumentation and data acquisition systems are presented as are various means of analyzing data. The paper concludes with recommendations for standardizing test methodology to improve the effectiveness and usefulness of tire testing in the winter environment.